


Time Heals

by thatwriterlady



Series: ABO Bingo 2018 [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean Winchester, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anxiety Disorder, Falling In Love, Fear, Feelings, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Kissing, M/M, Meet the Family, No Smut, Omega Castiel, Rutting, Sorry Not Sorry, Tattoo Artist Dean, Writer Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-24 04:20:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14947457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: Sequel to last year's ABO Bingo fic: Free Tattoos.As Dean and Cas' friendship evolves, love comes into play.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the sequel to last year's fic: Free Tattoos. Link here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11851764
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this one. I know many of you have been waiting for a long time for the sequel to this story. I can't wait to see what you all think. Enjoy!

 

 

  _ **Friends to Lovers~**_

Dean was nervous.  He didn’t know why, but he was.  This wasn’t a date, it was just two friends hanging out, but he was nervous anyway.  He tried not to pace, so to avoid that, he busied himself with adding new piercings and other things to the cabinets until he heard the key in the front door.  Looking up, he saw Sam and Charlie walking in.  He was grateful that his brother didn’t mind taking a few appointments here and there.

 

“Hey,”  Sam greeted, nodding his head at him.  “I thought you were off today.”

 

“I am.  I’m meeting a friend, we’re going to the museum.”  Dean added the last of the new septum clickers into the top cabinet and closed it.

 

“You’re going to the museum?  Which one?”  Sam set his cup of coffee down on the counter and cocked an eyebrow.

 

“Hey, it’s not like I don’t do cultural shit.  I just don’t do cultural shit with _you_.”  Dean looked over his brother’s shoulder, ignoring the grin on Sam’s face to see Cas standing outside.  “I have to go.”

 

“Tell Cas I said hi.”  Charlie said as he headed for the door.  Dean gave her a thumbs up and ducked out of the shop.

 

“Hey,”  He greeted Omega.  It was apparent he was not the only one who was nervous.  “Charlie says hi, by the way.”  He pointed back inside to where Charlie was now standing behind the counter, unloading her stuff.  She waved, so Cas waved back.

 

“Who’s the tall man with her?”

 

“That’s my little brother.  Remember I told you, he’s the lawyer?  Freelances as a tattoo artist?”

 

“Oh, right.  Is he not working today?”  Cas asked as they started walking to Dean’s car.  He’d parked it right out front this morning.

 

“He’s partners at the firm and whatever days he doesn’t have court, he’ll spend a few hours here.  He has a few appointments today.”

 

Dean opened the passenger door and once Cas was seated inside, closed the door and went around to his side to get in.

 

“Your car is so beautiful.  I’m impressed with her upkeep.  You haven’t changed much in here.  I’m pretty sure the original model didn’t have a tape deck though, did it?”  Cas asked.

 

“No, my dad had that installed before I was born.  I was loathe to change it though.  I use the tape deck all the time.”  Dean replied as he turned the key in the ignition.  Baby’s engine roared to life. 

 

“So, I went online to find out the prices for the museum, and I learned the entrance fees are separate from the fees to enter the Viking exhibit and the art exhibit.  I wasn’t sure what you wanted to see, so I bought us both the entrance tickets and since they offered a deal if you got tickets to both exhibits, I got us tickets to both.”  Cas explained as Dean turned at the next corner and started for the museum.

 

“That’s fine, and what I’ll do is cover lunch, and depending on how much the tickets were, we can split the difference.”  Dean told him.

 

“That’s not necessary.  It turns out Thursday is half price day.  All I paid full price for were the extra exhibits.”

 

They chatted on the drive and once they reached the museum and actually made their way inside, they were both completely comfortable around one another.  It was other Alphas that had Cas on edge. 

 

“I think we should check out the exhibits you paid extra for first, so we see everything, then we can look at everything else.”  Dean suggested.

 

“I agree.  The exhibits are across the hall from one another, on the second floor.”  Cas pointed to the stairs so they headed for them.

 

“So, the art exhibit, is it modern art or a mixture of classical and modern?”  Dean asked as they stopped in the hall between the two exhibits.  Cas smiled and the Alpha swore there was a hint of mischief hidden behind it.

 

“Why don’t we go inside and find out?”


	2. Chapter 2

“You had fun at the museum?”  Charlie asked as she poked her needle through her client’s nose, piercing it in one fluid movement.  It didn’t stop the girl’s eyes from tearing up though.

 

“I had a blast.  Once Cas warms up, he’s a sarcastic mother fucker.  He made joked about everything, had me in stitches so bad my abdomen muscles are still sore today.”  Dean replied.  He watched as Charlie moved on to piercing her client’s septum next.  They often chatted like this when one of them had a client, as long as it wasn’t one of Dean’s special clients.

 

“I bet.  He looks the type.  Was the Viking exhibit good?”  She asked.

 

“It could have been better, considering what we paid, but the art exhibit was worth it.”  He replied.

 

“So, you guys going to hang out again?”

 

“Yeah, I’m going to help him put together some Ikea furniture this weekend.  He bought it, tried to put it together himself, and failed miserably.  Next weekend, he’s coming over to watch Star Wars.  You know, he’s never watched the movies?  It’s nuts.  I have to christen him.”

 

She snorted as she got the needle through the girl’s nose a second time.  This time the girl-a Beta, whimpered in pain. 

 

“All done.”  Charlie announced once the new jewelry was in place.  Dean stood back and waited for her to finish giving her spiel about aftercare and maintenance of the new piercings.  He followed them out to the register where the girl paid, and then she and her friend were on their way.  Charlie leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms.

 

“We have the entire night booked solid.  You have six appointments just after five, not counting the dolphin you just did, and I have 12 of my own.  Sam’s coming in to help tonight, and so is Crowley, to cover the walk-ins.”

 

“Good, it’s going to get crazy in here,”  Dean sighed.  He pulled the appointment book closer and flipped it open.  “Fuck, you missed one.  This one will take no less than two hours.  Did she ask for me specifically?”   

 

Charlie peered at the name he was pointing at and groaned.  “Darn it!  How did I miss that one?”

 

“Because this isn’t your handwriting, Sam made this appointment.  Check the notes in the computer.”  He said.  She pulled the appointments for the day up and they both read the notes Sam had added.

 

_Hummingbirds, midflight.  See page 92, book 132, third hummingbird design from left.  Asked for me, not Dean for once._

 

“Huh.  Guess she has her sights set on Sammy now.”  Dean remarked.

 

“Poor Sam.”  Charlie shook her head sadly. 

 

“He’ll set her straight.  I’m not worried.”  Dean was just glad she was requesting his brother.  Her sessions always ran longer.

 

The evening was busier than expected, but technically even that was expected.  Besides the appointments, they had no less than 20 walk-ins, most of which had to be told to make an appointment for another date, but three or four just wanted touch ups or small tattoos that didn’t take much time.  Sometimes it was hard being so close to a busy university campus.  By the time the last client walked out the door, it was after 2am.  Dean was ready to drop.  Charlie already had.  She was snoozing on the leather couch in the back room and when Crowley went to wake her up, she jerked and cried out as her skin stuck to the leather.

 

“That’s why you don’t sleep on leather in sleeveless crop tops, love.”  He teased gently before offering a hand to pull her to her feet.

 

“Is it over?  Everyone’s gone?”  She stifled a yawn and rubbed at her back which still stung.

 

“Everyone is gone.  Dean asks that you close down the register tonight, he’s trying to clean up his inks, which is what Sam and myself are attempting to do as well.”

 

“Alright.”  She followed him back out to the main room and while he headed for his room, she headed for the register to start closing it out.  Forty minutes later she had everything balanced, tips calculated, and they were all ready to leave.

 

“You coming in tomorrow?”  Sam asked his brother as they were walking out.

 

“I have an appointment at 12.  After that, I have plans, so I’m not taking any walk-ins.”  Dean replied.  “Crowley, you want more hours?”

 

Crowley perked up at the mention of his name.  “Sure, I could use more stable hours.  I’m rather tired of the traveling.”

 

“Alright.  Be here tomorrow at two,”  Dean clapped his hands together.  “I will see you all tomorrow.”

 

“Goodnight.”  Everyone mumbled as they all parted and began heading to their cars.  Tomorrow, Dean decided, he was bringing coffee in for everyone.  They were going to need it.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Twelve Months Later~_ **

 

“Gonna go see your boyfriend?”  Sam teased.  Dean shot him a dirty look, even lifting his lip a bit, offering a show of his fangs.  It didn’t intimidate his brother like it would a stranger.  Sam knew Dean was all bark and no bite.

 

“He’s not my boyfriend.  What he is, is one of my best friends.  He’s trying to pack for his first book tour and not have a panic attack that he has to leave his home to travel.  I’m going to make sure he’s alright.  You need to grow up and stop being a bitch.”

 

Sam just laughed and flipped him off.  “Never, jerk.  Someone has to be a thorn in your side.”

 

Dean chuckled and shook his head as he grabbed his jacket and shrugged it on.  He wasn’t even going to grace that with a response.

 

“Hey, red!  I’m heading out!  Keep this fool in line!”

 

“Fuck you!”  Sam laughed.  Dean grinned as he headed for the door.  Charlie came out of her room, the wooden needles she used, still in their new package clutched between her hands.

 

“We’re good.  Crowley’s running a little late, but he’ll be here.  It’s Monday anyway, not like we’re that busy in the winter.”  She shrugged.

 

“Yeah, I know.  I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

 

With one final wave he was out the door and walking to his car.

 

The drive to Cas’ house was not far and after parking in the driveway, he headed up to the door and knocked.  Almost as if he’d been standing just on the other side, it flew open, and there stood a very frazzled looking Cas.

 

“Dean,”  He spoke the man’s name on what sounded to the Alpha like a relieved sigh.  “I am a bundle of nerves and I can’t relax.”

 

“Come on.”  Dean stepped into the house, closing the door behind himself and taking Cas by the elbow.  There were two ways to relax someone this stressed that he knew worked efficiently and since hot sex was off the table, chamomile tea was the way he was going to get the Omega to calm down.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“Kitchen.  I’m going to make you some tea.”  Dean declared.  Cas let himself be led into the kitchen and maneuvered to the table where Dean pushed on his shoulders until he sat down.

 

“I believe tea may actually help.”

 

“I know it will.”  Dean winked, smiling at the soft blush on the Omega’s face.  He could still cause that reaction, even after knowing Cas for all these months now, and he loved it.

 

He made the tea and poured it in the mug.  From there he went about adding honey and a drop of cinnamon extract.  His own personal recipe, and one Cas had not tried yet.  He carried the mug to the table and set it down in front of the other man before taking the seat next to him.

 

“Talk to me.  Why are you so nervous about this tour?”

 

Cas wrapped his hands around the mug and frowned down into it.  Dean knew he wasn’t upset with him, or the tea.  He was just…upset.

 

“There will be so many people.  So many _Alphas_.”

 

“Do you remember what Donna told you?  Inias was not the standard.  Nor was her ex.  Sure, you’re in a support group for abuse survivors, but even with the six or seven of you that attend, that’s 6 or 7 Alphas and Betas out of _millions_ , maybe even billions.  If someone makes you uncomfortable, tell them you don’t like what they’re doing.  You will have security there, Eileen is making sure of it.  You will be safe.”  Dean rubbed the back of his friend’s neck as he talked, using his touch to ground the frazzled man.  Cas sighed as he lifted his mug to his lips and took the first sip.  His blue eyes widened as he swung his head around to look at Dean.

 

“This…”

 

“Do you like it?”  Dean asked.  Cas quickly nodded.

 

“This is wonderful!  Is that cinnamon in here?  I don’t see the powder though.”

 

“That’s because I brought cinnamon extract.  It’s an old family recipe.  As pups, when Sam and I couldn’t get to sleep and our mom’s singing didn’t work, she would make us chamomile tea, then add honey and a touch of cinnamon.  She used to stir the honey in with a cinnamon stick though.  I cheat and use the extract.  Tastes about the same though.”  Dean explained.  Cas took another sip, his eyes slipping shut as he hummed with pleasure.

 

“This might just be my favorite tea now.”

 

Dean was happy, though he tried not to preen too much at the compliment.  He dropped his hand to the back of Cas’ chair and watched him drink the tea in silence for several minutes while his friend considered his words.

 

“I understand in the most fundamental sense that I will be safe, that Eileen would never endanger me, but my wolf is screaming at me to run, to hide, that I’m _not_ going to be safe.  I wish…”  He looked up at Dean, and there was so much sadness in his eyes that the Alpha wanted to just pull him into his arms and hold him.

 

“You wish what?”  Dean urged gently. 

 

“I wish you could come with me.  You make me feel so safe, like nothing in the world can harm me.  You’re the only person that makes me feel that safe,”  Cas sighed and dropped his eyes back to his tea.  “I feel so foolish because of this.”

 

“You’re not foolish, you just have a very small circle of people that you trust, and there’s nothing wrong with that.  You trust Donna and Charlie, and you trust Sam, your brothers, your sister.  Then there’s Eileen, Meg, Alfie, do I need to keep naming the good people in your life?  Because there are plenty, and they’re all good people.  Well, I’m still on the fence about Meg.” 

 

That broke the tension and Cas started laughing.  “Yes, well, I admit that sometimes _I’m_ on the fence about her too.  She’s a force to be reckoned with.”

 

Meg was the publisher for the company he sold his books to, while Eileen was his agent.  Dean got along great with Eileen but Meg just rubbed him the wrong way.  Lost in thought, he was pulled back into the present when Cas touched the back of his hand lightly.  He smiled at the Omega who was still grinning.

 

“I think…I’m ready now.”  Cas said rather cryptically.  Dean cocked his head.

 

“Ready?  For what?”

 

Cas took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  “For that date.  I-if that’s something you’re still interested in.”

 

“Yeah, I’m definitely interested.  How about this; you go on your tour, wow everyone with how amazing and wonderful you are, then, when you come home, I’ll have a nice, romantic dinner ready and waiting.  No expectations, just dinner, some wine, and the same good conversation we’ve shared since we first met.  Sound good?”  Dean offered the soft, friendly smile that always put the Omega at ease but rather than return the smile, Cas’ brow furrowed and he frowned.

 

“So I have to wait then.”

 

“Wait for what?”  Dean was puzzled.  What was he talking about?”

 

Cas met his confused stare and seemed to contemplate something for a moment before suddenly Dean found himself with a lap full of Omega and warm, plush lips pressed against his own.  His surprise lasted only a moment before he was kissing the man back.  This was _definitely_ not what he’d expected!  He wrapped his arms around the other man and held him gently as they took their time exploring one another’s mouths. 

 

“I didn’t want to wait a whole month to kiss you.”  The Omega murmured softly, though he didn’t pull back.  He only snuggled closer.  Dean smiled and kissed the tip of his nose.

 

“I’m not complaining.”

 

Cas chuckled and placed a tender kiss on the Alpha’s lips.  “I’m woefully inexperienced when it comes to dating, but I read online that the appropriate time to wait to kiss someone is after the second date, and then, you’re supposed to keep it chaste.  I have been dying to kiss you for months now.  I couldn’t stand to wait until after a third or fourth date to kiss you like that.”

 

Dean tilted his head up and caught the Omega’s mouth in another kiss, this one just as hot as the first one they’d shared, and he only stopped when he felt how hard Cas was, and how the Omega was rutting against him almost desperately.

 

“Cas, sweetheart,”  He cupped the man’s face between his hands so he couldn’t look away in embarrassment.  “I’m moving at your pace, so _you_ need to tell _me_ what you want.  Is sex what you want?  Right now, in this moment?”

 

Cas whined and pushed up against him again.  It was making Dean hard.  He would never rush anything though.  It hadn’t taken him long after he’d started hanging out with Cas for him to fall in love with the man, and the last thing he wanted to do was scare him away.  Cas meant too much to him for _just_ sex.  He wanted to make love to the man, to show him with not only his words and actions, but his body as well that not all Alphas were cruel. 

 

“I do, but I’m scared.  I know you won’t hurt me, but I honestly can’t remember the last time I had sex and it didn’t hurt.”

 

“I won’t hurt you, I promise.  I’d die before I ever hurt you the way he did.”  Dean grabbed the Omega’s ass and dragged him closer, so their erections brushed against one another through their jeans.  Cas groaned and began peppering the Alpha’s jaw and throat with tender kisses.

 

“Show me,”  He breathed softly against Dean’s ear.  “Show me what it’s supposed to be like.”

 

Dean bit back a growl that would likely scare the Omega and after planting his feet wide apart on the floor for balance, he stood up.  Cas quickly wrapped his legs around Dean’s waist and his arms around the man’s neck, hanging on for dear life as the Alpha started for the stairs.

 

“Which room is yours?”  He asked when they got to the top of the stairs.  In all of the time they’d spent together here, there had never been any reason for Dean to go up to the second floor.  Until now.  Cas pointed at a door on the right and when they reached it, leaned down to open it. 

 

The scent of _Omega_ hit Dean square in the face and he inhaled sharply.  His erection was now pressing painfully against the front of his jeans, and he was desperate to get them off.  Cas’ mouth was on his again, kissing him desperately, and he kissed him back with the same enthusiasm as he lowered them both down to the mattress.

 

“Dean, clothes,”  Cas whined when Dean simply laid on top of him and started kissing him again.

 

“There’s no rush, honey, we have all night.  You don’t leave until tomorrow for your trip.”  Dean assured him as he kissed his way down the Omega’s throat.  Cas sighed with contentment, and it radiated in his scent too.  He wasn’t scared.  He trusted Dean explicitly, and the Alpha planned to never betray that trust.

 

“Cas, you’re sure about this?  I don’t just want you for tonight.  I’m serious about taking you on dates, and still doing stuff together.  If…if this is it for us,”

 

Cas grabbed Dean by his tee shirt and pulled him so he could kiss him soundly on the lips.

 

“I have thought about this a lot, for a long time now.  I _was_ scared, of everything before I met you, but I’m not scared of _you_.  I want more than just friendship, but I’m not sure yet if I want mating.  I do know that I want whatever you’re willing to give, up until that.  If you just…I need, I need _time_.”

 

Dean spent several minutes soothing the Omega, of assuring him he wasn’t going to hurt or abandon him.  Soon, Cas’ scent was calm again, and he was reaching eagerly for the belt on Dean’s pants.  The Alpha humored him and lifted his hips to let him open it.  He didn’t stop there though, and before Dean could say anything, he had the Alpha’s pants open and was shoving them down.

 

“Please, Dean, enough talking, I need you inside me!” 

 

Dean kissed him one more time. 

 

“I can _definitely_ do that.”


	4. Chapter 4

“So you’re actually dating Cas now.  Like for real dating?  Not just the hanging out that you’ve been doing?”  Charlie asked as she slid the needle through the young man’s eyebrow.  This was her fourth eyebrow piercing today.  Dean was all smiles.

                                  

“Yeah, he told me he finally wanted to go on a date, so I promised him that when he gets home, we’re going to have a real date.  He’s not too keen on going out to a fancy restaurant, so I’m going to surprise him with an intimate dinner at his house.  I’m going to cook, have wine, and have flowers ready.  He deserves the best.”

 

“You’re such a sweetie.  He’s so lucky to have you,” She slid the new ring into her client’s eyebrow and closed it.  “You look so good, handsome!”  She chirped as she handed over a small mirror for him to look at his new ring. 

 

“Yeah?  You think?”  The guy asked.  “I’ve always wanted one.”

 

“You look great.”  Dean said reassuringly.

 

“Cool.”  The kid handed the mirror back to Charlie and when she told him to, he followed her up to the register.  Once he had paid and left, they were alone, save for Crowley who was busy tattooing another university student.  She turned to face Dean, crossing her arms and smiling.

 

“You love him, don’t you.”

 

Dean felt his cheeks heat up but it didn’t stop him from smiling like an idiot again.

 

“Yeah, I do.  I don’t know if he loves me back, but I sure as heck love him.”

 

‘I think he loves you too.  He needs that, someone to love him, someone that isn’t his family.  He hasn’t had that before,”  She said.  “You could be so good for him, but he could be so good for you too.”

 

“We, uh…”  He waggled his eyebrows, laughing when her jaw dropped and she squawked in surprise.

 

“No way!”

 

“Yeah.  I didn’t knot him, he wasn’t ready for that, but it was still pretty damn good.”  He leaned against the wall behind the counter and crossed his arms.  “I honestly didn’t expect him to want that.  He was stressed out about the trip, and then he suddenly announces he was ready for dating.  I promised the date and he got mad, cause he didn’t want to wait to kiss me.  Kissing led to other things he’s been thinking about and…yeah.  We spent the night together.  He let me hold him, which was something else I didn’t expect.  He’s tried to be strong for so long.  I just don’t want him to have to carry that burden.  I want to be there for him, not like I’ve wanted to with anyone before.”  Dean was about to keep waxing poetic, but his phone chose that moment to ring.  He pulled it out and smiled when he saw it was Cas.

 

“Hey, baby, you get there ok?”  He asked as he answered.

 

“Yes, we landed an hour ago and I’m at the hotel.  Eileen got me a private room on the top floor.  The only other room occupied up here is hers.  It’s very quiet.  I miss you though.  Are you really going to drive up and see me when I get to Illinois?”

 

Charlie pointed at her room before walking away.  Dean nodded and headed for his own room, in case anyone came in.  The new guy, Benny was floating around and he’d answer any inquiries if people came in.

 

“Yeah.  I didn’t tell Charlie that though.  I have to still make arrangements with Sam and Fergus.  Once that’s done, I’ll be on my way to meet you in Chicago.  You said your older sister lives there.  She, uh, you going to tell her about me?  About us?”

 

“I already have.  She’s worried, but I’ve told her how good you are.  Of course she will grill you.  I’ve told her you’re a successful tattoo artist, which she was not happy about.  We had a lengthy argument about judging people, and then I told her that you make more than she does.  I don’t know if you do or not, but if you make more than $45,000 a year, you make more than she does.  She just needs to stop being so overprotective.  I wanted to shut her up.”  Cas let out an exasperated sigh that got the Alpha chuckling.

 

“Yeah, you could say I make more than that.  Last tax season, we brought in $200,000.  We’re set to make more than that this year.  I told you, Crowley brings in celebrities all the time, and so do I.  We’re the closest shop to campus, so we pull in a lot of business, but not just because of where we’re located.  It’s cause we’re damn good.  I just got my first apprentice today.  He’s going to train half his time under me and half his time under Crowley.  If he turns out to be good, he’ll stay and work here til he decides whether he wants to keep working for someone or open his own shop.  Tell me about your schedule for tomorrow.”  Dean sat down in his chair and laid back, listening as Cas rattled off his itinerary.  He knew that structure, organization, but most of all, _predictability_ would go a long way towards keeping the Omega calm, so he listened, making only a few suggestions here and there to minimize potential exposure to unknown Alphas, such as having Eileen, an Omega like himself, sit at the table with him, and keeping the security within sight at all times. 

 

They talked for almost an hour while Cas ordered room service and Dean designed a new tattoo he’d thought up, putting the sketch on paper in fairly intensive detail before Eileen showed up to take him to his first signing.  Dean was impressed that Cas was popular enough to do traveling book signings rather than just his usual local ones, but at the same time, he missed the man.  When he made the drive to Chicago in two weeks, he was going to tell Cas how he felt.  Even if all they ever did was date, he still wanted to tell him.  Cas, he felt was going to be the epic love of his life, and he was totally on board with that.


	5. Chapter 5

Dean paced nervously in the hotel hallway, outside the door Cas had given as his room while he waited for Cas to arrive.  He’d gotten here early but Cas wasn’t back from his signing at the book store, so he was left to wait, trying not to worry himself sick that tonight was the night he would meet his boyfriend’s sister (he’d been telling himself Cas was his boyfriend, until Eileen referred to him as Cas’, and Cas didn’t correct her), and he was nervous as hell.  Anna didn’t like him, even though she had no reason not to.  It was because of what Inias had done to Cas, and as unfair as he felt it was to judge him by the actions of someone else, he understood _why_.  She was worried about her little brother, the same way he worried about Sam.  It’s what older siblings did.  He just hoped he’d be able to charm her and appease her worries.

 

He’d picked out a white button down and a black blazer to wear over it.  That would effectively hide all of his tattoos, which he hoped was in his favor.  He’d chosen a crisp pair of dark wash jeans to wear, and a pair of his more casual oxfords.  The only thing he couldn’t hide were his pierced ears, but he did take the rings out for tonight.  Hopefully Cas didn’t notice.

 

“Dean!”

 

He turned to see Cas and Eileen walking down the hall towards him.  Cas practically threw himself into the Alpha’s arms and hugged him tight.  Dean relaxed instantly, wrapping the man up in a tight embrace.

 

“I missed you, sweetheart.”  He murmured, before kissing Cas softly.  Cas smiled adoringly at him before a small furrow formed between his eyebrows.

 

“Where are your earrings?”  Damn, he’d noticed.

 

“He’s trying to impress.  I think he looks very handsome.”  Eileen winked at the Alpha and he was grateful that she got it.  Cas sighed and held a hand out.

 

“Where are they?”

 

Dean frowned as he dug into his pocket and pulled them out.  He had three, including the tragus piercing.  Back in the day he’d been Charlie’s guinea pig.  She’d pierced his tongue, ears, eyebrow, nipples, and nose, though he’d taken out everything but the ear and nipple piercings over the last ten years. He passed the earrings to Cas who proceeded to put them back in for him.

 

“Don’t worry about my sister.  Her opinion isn’t the one that matters, mine is.  Now come on, you must be exhausted.  We’ll take a nap, then shower, preferably _together_ , then we’ll make the drive to Anna and Miguel’s house.  I’ve warned her to be nice or I won’t see her again before I leave, and I won’t visit her at the holidays,”  Cas held his head high as he stepped back and admired Dean’s ears.  “I very much like your piercings.  I’ve been considering letting Charlie have a go at my ears.  But maybe just regular piercings, not that one up there, that must have been painful.”

 

“It was.  Her early piercings, she experimented on me and Sam.  Because he’s a lawyer, he took all of his out, but she poked us both quite a bit.  I kept the ears, and two others.”

 

Cas’ smirk was wicked in the face of Eileen’s confusion.  Dean knew she was hearing impaired so he wasn’t surprised when his boyfriend held his hands up to sign something to her.  He was, however, startled by her abrupt burst of laughter.  When her eyes darted to his chest, he knew what Cas had told her.  His boyfriend was grinning and it was so beautiful to see him relaxed and happy like that, that he didn’t begrudge him telling Eileen about the nipple rings.

 

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.” 

 

“I’ll see you in the morning.  It was nice seeing you, Dean.”  Eileen patted his arm before crossing the hall to another door and disappearing through it.  Cas opened the door to his room and helped Dean with his bags.

 

“We’re still going _out_ to dinner with your sister and her family, right?”  Dean asked as he closed the door.

 

“Yes.  I don’t want to be at her house.  If we’re at a restaurant, there’s a time limit on the get together.  She can’t try to guilt trip me into staying longer and if I need to make an excuse to leave, she can’t get angry and try to block my exit without making a scene.”  Cas explained as he ducked into the bathroom and got the water started.

 

“You know, you’re really not making me feel very confident about meeting her.  She sounds scarier every time you talk about her.”  Dean said as he sat down on the edge of the bed to pull his boots off.

 

“She’s an Alpha, Dean.  She’s protective of her family, and she _hated_ Inias.  She’s not angry that we’re dating, she’s worried I’ve made the wrong choice for myself.  I intend to prove to her that without a forced mating looming over my head, I am perfectly capable of making the right choices for myself.  I haven’t told her about the tattoo yet either.  I was saving that for tonight.  She knew about the scars.  They infuriated her every time she saw them, or saw the bite.  She hasn’t seen me in a year though, so she hasn’t seen how truly happy I am now.  Tonight, I plan to show her that she doesn’t have to worry about me anymore.”

 

Cas came out of the bathroom and walked over to the bed.  He straddled Dean’s legs and wrapped his arms around his neck.  “You make me so incredibly happy.  You’ve been an incredibly good friend to me when I needed one desperately, you’ve introduced me to others that I’ve become friends with, like Donna, Jody, and Pam.  You’ve shown me that Alphas aren’t all scary.  Yes, I still have issues.  I have flashbacks, I have anxiety attacks, I have nightmares, but every day, with love from my friends and family, support, and therapy, they’re a little less severe.  _I’m_ in control of my life, not my past, not my anxiety, and sure as _hell_ not Inias.”

 

“Cas, I gotta tell you something.”  Dean’s thumbs rubbed absently at the Omega’s bare skin where his dress shirt had come untucked from his pants.  He was nervous, and he knew Cas could smell it.

 

“What is it?”  Cas tilted his head and studied the Alpha’s face.

 

“I love you,”  Dean blurted.  “I fell in love with you a long time ago.  I know you might not feel the same way about me, but, uh, yeah.  I love you.”

 

The smile that appeared on Cas’ face was like the sun coming out after the storm.

 

“You love me?”

 

Dean smiled as he nodded.  “Yeah, I’m like mad in love with you.”

 

Cas wrapped his arms around his neck a little tighter and kissed him.  “Good, because I never thought I’d find someone I actually loved, or that could love someone as broken as I am.  I love you too.”

 

Dean cupped his face and kissed him firmly.  “You’re not broken.  We’ve been over this a million times already.  Suffering abuse at the hands of a psychopath does not make you broken.  You’re absolutely perfect.”

 

“Thank you, Dean.  I don’t think I could ever hear that enough.” 

 

“Come on, let’s go take that shower you were talking about, then we’ll catch a few z’s.  I’m kind of exhausted, I just drove ten hours straight to get here.”

 

They headed in to take their shower and for the moment, Dean plum forgot about Anna Novak.  That was probably for the best.


	6. Chapter 6

Dean’s nerves were back.  He was dressed and pacing the bedroom while Cas shaved in the bathroom.

 

“Relax, she doesn’t bite.”  Cas glanced over his shoulder at his boyfriend, frowning when he saw him pass by the bathroom door for a fourth time.

 

“What if she hates me?  What if she thinks I’m not good enough for you?”

 

“What did I say earlier?  Her opinion doesn’t matter.  She should feel privileged that I’m introducing you to her at all.”  Cas wiped the last of the foam off his face and checked his work in the mirror.  Deeming it satisfactory, he walked into the bedroom. 

 

“Come on, it’s time to go.”  He held out a hand and Dean walked over and took it.

 

“I’m still nervous.”  The Alpha confessed.

 

“Yes, I can tell.  Trust me to be the one to keep you safe, ok?”  Cas squeezed his hand and tugged him towards the door. 

 

“I trust you.”  Dean said.  Cas smiled lovingly at him.

 

“Then let’s go to dinner.” 

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

 Anna and her family were waiting when they arrived.  She was…smaller than Dean had expected, and that settled his nerves only slightly.  There was a handsome Omega at her side that Cas pointed out was her mate, Miguel.  The two pups sitting with them jumped up and hurried to Cas, wrapping themselves around him and hugging him tight before he ever reached the table.

 

“Hey, guys, how have you been?”  He asked as he kissed each one on the top of the head.

 

“Good.  I hate school.”  Aurora replied.

 

“I’m on the soccer team!”  Javier exclaimed.

 

“That’s so cool!  Your mom and I both played soccer, did she tell you that?  So did your Uncle Mike.  Your dad did too.”  Cas ushered the kids back to the table while Dean tagged along, hanging back a bit.  When they reached the table Anna stood up.  She eyed Dean for a moment before turning to her brother and hugging him.

 

“Cas, you look good.”

 

“Thank you, so do you.”  Cas waited for Miguel to stand up and then hugged him too.  When he returned to Dean’s side, he took the Alpha’s hand, squeezing it before accepting the chair Dean pulled out for him.

 

“This is Dean.  Dean, this is my sister, Anna, and her mate Miguel.  These adorable pups are my niece and nephew, Aurora and Javier.  The baby in the highchair gumming a biscuit is Sonia.” 

 

Dean shook hands with Miguel and Anna, murmuring a polite greeting before sitting down beside Cas.  That put him across the table from Anna and her mate.  She was still watching him, her hazel eyes hard and assessing as she watched his every move.

 

“So, Cas tells me you’re a tattoo artist.  What kind of shop is it?  Do you work for someone?  The school?  He says the shop is near the university campus.”

 

“I don’t work for anyone, it’s my shop.  It is near campus though.  I just took on an apprentice.  When he’s finished, there will be four artists, including myself.”  Dean replied.

 

“Is that very lucrative?”  Miguel asked.  “The shops around here always seem to be empty when I pass them.”

 

“Well, because we’re so close to campus, we do really well.  Most of our clientele are college students, but we have a pretty big number of people from the surrounding towns that come in as well.  We’re also the only shop in the state that does cover up tattoos for free.”  Dean replied.  A server came and took their drink order, and when she was gone again, Anna’s hard gaze was back on Dean.

 

“Knock it off, Anna.  You are _not_ to intimidate my boyfriend,”  Cas surprised everyone at the table when he growled.  Dean was shocked.  Cas was so scared of Alphas, but apparently not ones he was related to.  He’d come so far since Dean had first met him.  Anna arched an eyebrow, obviously as surprised as Dean by her brother’s outburst.

 

“I worry about you.”  She said, her voice softening, as did her gaze.

 

“You don’t need to.  I’ve been doing very well in therapy, and I’m in a support group, have been for the last year.”  Cas held his head high, making Dean so incredibly proud of him.

 

“It’s a survivors group.”  The Alpha added.  A small furrow formed between Anna’s eyes as she tilted her head.  It reminded Dean of Cas.

 

“A…survivors group?”

 

“I put Cas in touch with a friend of mine who went through something similar to what he did.  She started a support group and all of the people in it have experienced near deadly abuse at the hands of a mate.  They’re not all Omegas in there.  I think there’s a couple of Betas and an Alpha too.”  Dean replied.

 

“An Alpha.  An Alpha survived abuse?”  She was skeptical, but Dean didn’t have all the details, he only knew what Cas had told him.

 

“She was in a relationship with another Alpha.  Mated for ten years.  He slit her throat when he decided he wanted to mate one of his Omega high school students.  She survived.  He’s in prison now.”  Cas explained.

 

“Oh my god…”  Anna covered her mouth in horror.

 

“She’s doing ok though?  Considering.  Medically, she can speak?  Eat?”  Miguel asked.

 

“Yes, though her vocal chords were damaged.  He cut her deeper on one side than the other.  She fought him off.  She’s a nurse, so she knew how to apply pressure and stem the bleeding, but that was eight years ago.  She’s doing very well now.  She’s mated to another Omega from the group and they have two pups together.  Sometimes they bring the kids to the meetings.  We meet up once a week.  I miss going, I can’t wait to go home and tell everyone about this tour.”

 

“How did you two meet?”  Anna asked.  “You’ve told me next to nothing, other than that you’re dating an Alpha again.”

 

“Not again.  For the first time ever.  I never dated Inias, and you know that.  Do _not_ compare what that bastard forced me into with what I have with Dean.  Dean is thoughtful and kind and more generous than you could ever imagine.  He has been my friend for the last year and it was _my_ decision to take things further.  He left that choice up to me.  He’d have been happy just being my friend, but I wanted more.  Give him a chance, or I’ll leave here and you won’t see me again.” 

 

“Cas,”  Dean spoke softly.  He didn’t want to be the source of animosity between his boyfriend and his boyfriend’s sister.  Anna glanced at him as he spoke Cas’ name, and then sighed heavily.

 

“Ok, I get it.  You’re a big boy and you know what you want in life.  I’ll support you.  You still haven’t told me how you two met.”

 

That launched the story of Cas’ koi pond tattoo.  He explained in detail why he’d chosen to get it, how he’d come to conclude that it would be good for his mental health, and most of all, how much he absolutely loved it. 

 

“I want to see it, it sounds beautiful.”  Anna afforded Dean a soft smile.

 

“He’s an amazing artist.  I’ve been trying to get him to publish a book of his art.  I’m not the first though, his friend Charlie has been trying for years, and so has his brother.”  Cas pulled out his phone and brought up the pictures of his own tattoo.  Pictures didn’t do justice though. 

 

The conversation flowed much more easily after that, and as they ate, they drank and talked.  Anna turned out to be rather friendly in the end, and when they left the restaurant, she managed to talk her brother into taking his shirt off so she could see the tattoo. 

 

“Oh, it’s so beautiful!”  She traced the edge of the pond, where she knew Inias’ bite had been, and she marveled over how every single stab wound was just gone.  “I can’t believe you did this for free.  This must be worth several thousand dollars.”

 

Dean shrugged.  “He needed more than just the bite covered up.  I gave him what he needed.”

 

Anna smiled warmly at him.  “Dean, you gave him so much more than that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Stay tuned, we have 23 more to go! Thanks for reading, as always, I value comments and kudos.


End file.
